INTERVIEWS

An Interview with The Puterbaugh Sisters!

Danielle and Tiffany Puterbaugh are sisters, and comedy duo unlike any you’ve ever seen! Their alternative approach to comedy is refreshing and the kind that keeps you on your toes. You may recognize them from their performances at comedy festivals all over the country, including the Andy Kaufman Awards and NY/Chicago/San Francisco Sketchfest. They produce a critically acclaimed variety show in Los Angeles and will be bringing their funny act straight to the stage of DNA’s Comedy Lab in Santa Cruz, Saturday May 11th. Don’t miss these sisters!

SUSC: When did you start doing comedy and did you initially start together?

Tiffany: We’ve kinda been doing comedy our whole lives! We used to put on shows at my grandma’s house, in malls, and we’d just dress up and do characters anywhere anyone would watch us. We did some theater and other high school performance together but then there was a period of time where we went off on our own. After awhile we came back and started doing sketch comedy together.

Danielle: We actually wrote our own full sketch show and performed it in Chicago. Then we did SketchFest and started booking shows for ourselves all over! We were also running our variety show, Entertaining Julia, for eight years and then we’ve been running it here in L.A for the past three years

SUSC: That’s awesome, what led you to go from Chicago to L.A?

T: I think that Chicago is an amazing city for performance, comedy, art and all that but if you do want more opportunities for new things you kinda have to move to another spot. I also think we had reached the limit of all the great stuff we could accomplish there.

SUSC: I’ve heard a lot of different people say that you have to leave where you start out so that you can reach some sort of next level. What do you think?

T: I don’t necessarily think there are any rules but I do think that if you’re in the same place doing the same thing it tends to stop being inspiring after a while. It’s good to do new, exciting things.

SUSC: When you did decide to move to LA did you already have a place to continue your show Entertaining Julia or did you figure it out after?

D: It sorta manifested itself once we put it out there. We knew we’d find the right place once we were here and we knew Beth already who runs the show with us, it all just magically worked out the way it was supposed to.

SUSC: Do you feel like the show has remained true to what it originally was through that move?

T: I think because Danielle, Beth and I have stayed true to what we believe the integrity of the show has stayed the same. We’ve always made a huge effort, especially because Chicago was pretty male-dominated, to give LGBTQ people, people of color, women and newer performers a platform that supports them.

SUSC: That’s fantastic that you make a point to be an advocate. I imagine that openness is part of what has brought your show so much success. What’s it like working with comedians like Hannibal Buress, Eric Andre, Kyle Kinane, and other big names?

T: They’re actually just our pals! A lot of them we started out with in Chicago. Those people were just other comedians trying to do mics that went on to find success.

SUSC: What do you think it takes to be successful as a comedian reach that next level?

D: I think you just have to be yourself, be funny, and don’t stop no matter what. Even when it’s hard you keep going. I feel like if you’re a good person and you’re talented it will eventually work out in some way. The main thing I think that shines through those friends of ours that have found success is that their just good people.

SUSC: Are there any new projects we can look out for soon?

T: We’re actually working on a series called, “Kitchen Women”. We’re hoping to release it in the summer. We painted our kitchen and we’re filming it there! It touches on modern day feminism and all different things that happened in the ’50s and ’60s.

SUSC: That sounds fantastic!

Interviewed by: Mac Ruiz

Follow them on Instagram to see what they’re up to, @puterbuaghdani and @puterbaughtiff!